As Christmas festivities reach it’s peak. Major thoroughfares in Central Kolkata, particularly J.L. Nehru Road and the AJC Bose Road crossing, are witnessing massive gridlock due to the influx of revelers heading toward the Park Street carnival. With Park Street, Middleton Street, and Cathedral Road completely closed to vehicles and major thoroughfares like AJC Bose Road heavily restricted, it is highly advisable to avoid driving and use the Metro’s extended late-night services instead.
To manage the surge, Kolkata Police has restricted goods vehicles from entering the Maidan and Park Street sectors until the early hours of December 26. Furthermore, iconic stretches like Park Street (from J.L. Nehru Road to Wood Street) and Middleton Street are completely shut to vehicular traffic to allow for a pedestrian-only arena, while Cathedral Road and parts of Russell Street remain closed or heavily restricted to ensure the safety of the crowds.
To mitigate the surface-level congestion, the Kolkata Metro has stepped in with significant extra services for the Blue and Green lines. On Christmas Day, the Metro is operating a total of 224 services on the Blue Line (Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash) and 201 services on the Green Line (Howrah Maidan to Sector V). Notably, the Blue Line has extended its operating hours, with the last trains departing from Shahid Khudiram at 10:30 PM and Dakshineswar at 10:23 PM
Park Street is a walk-only zone for pedestrians on Christmas today.
With the main festivities centered around Park Street (renamed Mother Teresa Sarani), the area will see massive police deployment. The entire park street zone is adorned with dazzling lights, decorations. The festival includes live music performances by bands and choir groups at Allen Park, a two-hour parade for children, and numerous food stalls.
Key Locations: Besides Park Street, celebrations and events take place at Bow Barrack and around prominent churches in Kolkata (like St. Paul’s Cathedral), as well as in other towns such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Chandannagar, and Bandel.
Special Events: Many venues, hotels, and clubs host Christmas-themed parties, brunches, and live performances, including theatre shows and comedy events.
On the other hand BJP will be celebrating former PM Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday. State President of BJP Bengal Unit Samik Bhattacharya will be in NRS hospital at 9.30 AM to pay tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee. There are mtiple programme on this by BJP tomorrow.